Vienna International Airport

Vienna Airport (IATA: VIE, ICAO: LOWW) is an international airport serving Vienna, the capital of Austria. It is located in Schwechat, 18 km (11 mi) southeast of central Vienna and 57 kilometres (35 mi) west of Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. Its official name according to the Austrian Aeronautical Information Publication is Wien-Schwechat Airport. It is the country's largest airport and serves as the hub for Austrian Airlines as well as a base for low-cost carrier Ryanair and since April 2025 also for leisure airline Condor. It is capable of handling wide-body aircraft up to the Airbus A380. The airport features a dense network of European destinations as well as long-haul flights to Asia, North America and Africa. History Early years On 27 December 1985, the El Al ticket counter was attacked by Abu Nidal, a Palestinian terrorist organisation that simultaneously conducted a terrorist attack at Fiumicino Airport in Rome. Flughafen Wien AG, one of the few publicly traded airport operators in Europe, was privatised in 1992. The state of Lower Austria and the City of Vienna each hold 20% of the shares, the private employee participation foundation holds 10%, with the remaining 50% held privately. The shares used to be part of the Austrian Traded Index but were removed in September 2017. Development since the 2000s To accommodate future growth, in 1998 Vienna Airport published a master plan that outlined expansion projects until 2015. These projects included a new office park, railway station, cargo centre, general aviation centre, air traffic control tower, terminal, and runway. Additionally, the plan called for streamlined security control. The centrepiece of the enlargement was the new terminal, dubbed Skylink during its construction. In 2002, the airport's management estimated that building the new terminal will cost €401.79 million. However, costs skyrocketed and in 2009 stood at an estimated €929.5 million. The Austrian Court of Audit then recommended that the airport implement several cost-savings measures, which in the Court's estimate brought down final costs to €849.15 million, still more than double the original plans. On 5 June 2012, the new Austrian Star Alliance Terminal (Terminal 3, named Skylink during its construction) was opened, which enables the airport to handle up to 30 million passengers per year. Construction started in 2004 and was suspended due to projected cost increases in 2009, but resumed in 2010. The maximum planned costs totaled less than €770 million. Following concerns over the mismanagement of the Skylink project, chief executive Herbert Kaufman agreed to resign at the end of December 2010. The new building with its North Pier has 17 jetbridges and makes the airport capable of handling more aircraft, although the new terminal is not able to handle Airbus A380 aircraft. However, the older Concourse D will see an upgrade to accommodate the A380. Terminals The airport has four terminal buildings named Terminal 1, 2 and 3 which are directly built against each other as well as the additional Terminal 1A located opposite Terminal 1. Terminals 1, 2 and 3 connect to the five concourses. The central arrivals hall for all terminal areas is located in Terminal 3. Terminals Terminal 1A, a standalone building opposite Terminal 1, originally built as a temporary complex in 2005. It hosts check-in facilities for a variety of carriers, including leisure airlines like Air Arabia, Condor or SunExpress, along with legacy and long haul carriers like Hainan Airlines or China Airlines. For renovation purposes the terminal had been temporarily closed in early 2025 and was reopened in modernised appearance April 2025. Terminal 2 was finished in 1960, when it was the only terminal of the airport. A huge extension was built in 1993, when the Plaza opened. Because of the opening of the new Terminal 3, the check-in area of Terminal 2 stopped operating in 2012. It was refurbished between 2016 and 2022 and now features new security screening areas and a revamped baggage reclaim, which is connected to the baggage reclaim of Terminal 3. The original Terminal 2 is now used as the entrance of Concourses C and D. Terminal 3, also referred to as the Austrian Star Alliance Terminal, with its adjoining Concourses F and G is the airport's newest facility. It was built between 2006 and 2012. It is used by Austrian Airlines, most Star Alliance members, and a number of other carriers including Emirates, El Al, Korean Air and Qatar Airways. A planned expansion has been postponed indefinitely. Concourses Concourse B was on ground level, adjacent to Concourse C and featured Gates B31–B42 (boarding by buses) for Schengen destinations. From 2021 it was temporarily used to handle non-Schengen bus arrivals. In 2022 it has been refurbished to assume that role permanently. Concourse C (pier west) was finished in 1996. It is used for Schengen destinations; features Gates C21-24) (boarding via buses), C31–C42 (jetbridges) C71–C75 (boarding via buses) Concourse D (pier east; formerly Concourse A) opened 1988 and is used for non-Schengen destinations with shared passport control at the entrance of Pier East; features Gates D21–D29 (boarding via jetbridges), D31–D37 (boarding via buses), D61–D70 (buses). Concourse D has been closed and partially refurbished during the COVID-19 pandemic. Concourse F (Level 1 of pier north) was finished in 2012, when the new Terminal 3 opened. It is used for Schengen destinations and consists of Gates F01-F37 (jetbridges and buses) and Gates F71-F75 (bus gates) Concourse G (Level 3 and basement of pier north) for non-Schengen destinations; shared passport control at the entrance of Level 3; features Gates G01-G37 (jetbridges and bus gates) and G61-67 (boarding via buses). Expansion projects Terminal 3 expansion In addition to the aforementioned refurbishments of existing passenger facilities, a completely new building is under construction as of early 2024, which is supposed to connect the existing pier east and pier north. The so-called T3 Southern Enlargement will be offering 70,000 m2 (750,000 sq ft) of leisure area, 10,000 m² of which will be used for shops and restaurants etc. The building will also feature 18 new additional bus gates, including 9 gates for Schengen Destinations and 9 gates for Non-Schengen Destinations. The opening had originally been planned for 2023, however, the project had been delayed in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. In January 2023 it was announced that the construction of the new building was then set to start in mid-2023. Construction for the new terminal annex subsequently started in February 2024 with a completion date expected for early 2027. Third runway Vienna Airport originally projected that it would need a third runway by 2012, or 2016 at the latest, in the event of cooperation with nearby Bratislava Airport. The third runway is planned to be parallel to and south of the existing runway 11/29. It will be designated 11R/29L, with the existing runway being renamed 11L/29R. The new runway is planned to be 3,680 m (12,070 ft) long and 60 m (200 ft) wide, and equipped with a category III instrument landing system in one direction (29L). Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic the airport projected that a third runway will be necessary by 2025, however, environmental organisations and some local communities oppose construction. These groups have attacked the decision of Lower Austria (the state in which the airport is located) to move ahead with the first phase of construction. A verdict from the administrative court that has taken up the lawsuit was expected later in 2015. As of September 2016, there were ongoing public protests while no legal decision had been made. On 28 March 2018, the Austrian Federal Administrative Court ruled in favour of a third runway. Despite the approval to build the third runway the airport in late 2025 decided to not continue the project. Airlines and destinations Passenger The following airlines offer regular scheduled and charter flights at Vienna Airport: Cargo Statistics Traffic figures Busiest routes Ground transportation Train The Vienna S-Bahn line S7 provides a local service to the city centre taking approx. 25 minutes. The more expensive City Airport Train connects the airport directly to Wien Mitte railway station, close to the city centre, in 16 minutes. Additionally, the underground railway station has been expanded to accommodate long-distance trains. Since December 2014, the first trains passing Vienna's new main station, ICE services from Germany, terminate at the airport. Since December 2015, ÖBB Railjet services operate to the airport as well. Long-distance train rides between the airport and the main station take approx. 15 minutes. Car The airport lies directly adjacent to motorway A4 which leads from central Vienna to Budapest. It has its own exit named Flughafen Wien-Schwechat. Bratislava can be reached via motorway A6 which splits from the A4 in the east. Taxis and car rental facilities are available at the airport. There are also several taxi companies that operate at the airport. Bus Buses operate from the airport to various places in Vienna and to other cities including Bratislava, Budapest and Brno. Accidents and incidents In 1955, a Convair CV-340 crashed on approach to the airport, killing 7 of the 29 passengers and crew on board. This is the last fatal aviation accident to occur at Wien-Schwechat Airport. On 27 December 1985, 1985 Rome and Vienna airport attacks On 12 July 2000, Hapag-Lloyd Flight 3378 crashed short of the runway at the airport on the final approach of its diverted flight due to fuel exhaustion. There were no fatalities, but the aircraft was damaged beyond repair. See also Transport in Austria List of airports in Austria Wien-Aspern Airport References External links Media related to Vienna International Airport at Wikimedia Commons Vienna International Airport travel guide from Wikivoyage Official website "Current weather for LOWW". NOAA/NWS. Accident history for VIE at Aviation Safety Network